Andy has been writing about the governance of sport for over 15 years. Prior to working on the Sports Integrity Initiative, he was the editor of World Sports Law Report for eight years. He has also worked for the Press Association and has written for numerous trade magazines. He has also created, chaired and spoken at numerous conferences on the business of sport, and produced the Sports Law Show for iSportConnect TV.
All posts by Andy Brown
Thirteen athletes from nine countries, competing in seven sports, were involved in anti-doping proceedings that came to light in the week ending 14 January 2022. However, the biggest anti-doping news during the week involved the first prosecution under the US Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA), perfectly illustrating how criminal legislation...
Did you place a bet over the Christmas period? You certainly wouldn’t be alone. Betting on sports is big business, and the FA Premier League (FAPL) is globally recognised as football’s most commercially successful league. And online sports betting is a regulated, legal activity in the UK. How big...
In September 2014, The Sports Integrity Initiative (The SII) was launched to report, investigate and serve as a central resource for sports integrity matters. The SII sought to shine a light on aspects of sports integrity issues that were often not covered by the mainstream media, so that athletes and...
Only two athletes from two countries were involved in anti-doping proceedings this week. The Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) announced that Natalia Ryabinina (Grigorieva) (Наталья Рябинина (Григорьева)) has been sanctioned with an 18 month ban after reanalysis of a sample taken on 15 February 2015 returned an adverse analytical finding...
Fifteen athletes competing in eight sports, from eight countries, were involved in anti-doping proceedings in the last week of 2021. The majority of cases involved confirmed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs). Only two involved adverse analytical findings (AAFs – or ‘positive tests’) that have yet to be confirmed as ADRVs....
Twenty four athletes competing in 16 sports from eight countries were involved in anti-doping proceedings announced during the past two weeks. Almost half (eleven) of the athletes were Russian but contrary to popular interpretation of anti-doping statistics, this doesn’t mean that Russia has a particular problem with doping. ...
• The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has issued two athletes with public warnings for minor anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs). Ice hockey player Madeline Wethington failed to obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for a prescribed medication containing spironolactone and returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’)...
• Jakub Świerczok has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for an unnamed prohibited substance following a 17 October test after Nagoya Grampus’s AFC Champions League game against Pohang Steelers. The AAF was announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on...
Appeals by two Austrian athletes against anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) issued by the country’s anti-doping rights commission (ÖADR) have been dismissed, the country’s Independent Arbitration Commission (USK) announced. The USK upheld (click here to download Decision) a two year ban from 29 October 2020 to 29 October 2022 issued...
Sri Lankan sprinter Himasha Eshan has been provisionally suspended due to an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for norandosterone, the Sri Lankan athletics federation has confirmed. A hearing was scheduled for 15 November, however since Eshan is currently in Italy, it has been postponed until 31 December,...
• Two CrossFit athletes and Coaches have been sanctioned with four year bans, after their appeals against positive tests for prohibited substances were denied. Svetlana Kubyshkina was sanctioned with a four year ban after returning an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for methenolone, furosemide and trimetazidine...
Manipulation of boxing results continued up until the Belgrade 2021 World Boxing Championships in October/November this year, the third part of an investigation into corruption at the international boxing association (AIBA) has found. A Report (PDF below) found that because of continuing corruption, there was no trust in AIBA...
USADA announced today that Grace Bowlby, of Edina, Minn., an athlete in the sport of ice hockey, has accepted a public warning for failing to obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) prior to her use of an otherwise prohibited medication. Bowlby’s violation resulted from her use of spironolactone, a...
The Russian Triathlon Federation (ФТР) has been sanctioned by World Triathlon, after three of its athletes were implicated in blood doping cases involving use of exogenous erythropoietin (EPO). World Triathlon announced that: • The ФТР must reach an agreement with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) regarding testing of Russian...
Three powerlifters, two rugby players and five athletes competing in other sports have been sanctioned for anti-doping rule violations, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has recently announced. Alexey Dorofeev (Алексея Дорофеева), understood to be Russia’s 5,000m champion in athletics, was sanctioned with a three year ban from 29 October...
